A Big Love Rectangle
by Hayley4Naley
Summary: The tree hill gang at university, set in Australia. A complicated love life begins as Hayley begins the next stage of her life at Uni.
1. Chapter 1 O Week

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of these characters; Mark Schwahn and other OTH writers created them. The title is from an OTH quote "This is all turning into a big love rectangle, plus one." – Brooke Davis, season 1, Every night is another story.

This chapter is dedicated to Serena, as she inspired me to write my own fanfiction. It is based on my University, in Australia, as I have no idea what ones in the US are like. I decided to change Haley's name to Hayley just because I can.

**

* * *

Chapter 1 - O week**

Hayley James was excited. She was about to start her first semester at Uni and was looking forward to making new friends, experiencing new surroundings and having more freedom and responsibility.

She wasn't happy that her summer holidays hadn't been as exciting as they usually were. Especially since she had to wait so much longer for uni to start, and she missed seeing her school friends everyday. But it was time for a change, a new adventure which she was really looking forward to.

--

Brooke Davies was a typical party girl. She has spent most of her summer holidays out clubbing where she met numerous university boys. Brooke was definitely looking forward to the uni lifestyle, especially since she found out there was a bar on campus!

Today, she had made a deal with her friend Hayley. She would attend O-Week and spend the day learning their way around the uni, joining various clubs and societies and spending money on the market stalls, but only if Hayley accompanied her to O-Party that night. Hayley, not being much of a drinker agreed to the deal, if they left before 2 am.

--

Lucas Scott was not looking forward to seeing his little brother at uni. They were only 10 months apart, and Lucas as the older brother wished his parents had waited another 5 months before having a second child. That way the two boys could at least have been in different years at school. But instead Lucas would tease his younger brother calling him an unwanted pregnancy, a mistake.

Karen and Dan had no idea why the two boys couldn't just get along, it would have made all of their lives so much easier. Yet when they divorced 3 years ago, the bad relationship between the boys made it easier on the family. Karen took Lucas, Dan took Nathan and the two haven't seen each other for years… until now.

--

Nathan was just as excited as Lucas at the idea of attending the same uni… almost to the point of not going. Dan, however was not thrilled with this idea and threatened to disown his son if Nathan didn't go to uni and get an education. "Besides," His father had said, "It's a big enough campus that the odds of ever seeing him are very slim."

Nathan spent a bit of time thinking about this and decided he wasn't going to let his brother ruin his university experience. He was going to enjoy the uni life of drinking, girls and procrastination.

--

Hayley heard the 'beep beep' of Brooke's car. She grabbed her bag, ran out the door and hopped in Brooke's bright red Yaris. The girl's sang along to old spice girls songs, with the car windows down, enjoying the wind in their hair and sun on their faces as they made their way to the University campus.

Brooke quickly found a parking spot, narrowly missing the car that was about to reverse in. The two girls headed down the path ignoring the shouting obscenities from the angry driver. (as the girls were far to mature to respond with 'you snooze you lose,' or 'finders, keepers, buddy.')

"So where to first?" Brooke asked.

Hayley opened her campus map and navigated their way down to the market stalls near the Unibar.

"Excellent, the Unibar! It's already open. Come on Hayls…"

"Brooke, it's barely even lunch time. You promised we would check out everything else first!"

"Ahh ok fine. But we're having lunch here later." She replied, waving at a boy she vaguely recognised from hooking up with last week.

Hayley quickly agreed and dragged Brooke off to the clubs and societies stand to decide what she should join.

--

Lucas Scott pulled into the parking lot with his girlfriend Peyton Sawyer.

"So how about we go our separate ways and just meet up for lunch?" Lucas suggested.

"Sounds good." Peyton replied. She pecked her boyfriend on the lips and he watched her head down the path in front of him while he locked the car.

"_Damn, she has great legs_." He thought to himself, and smiling, Lucas headed off to his faculty building.

--

Nathan arrived at the entrance to the university campus. He had taken the bus in as his car was still at the mechanic shops getting repaired. Nathan had had the unpleasant experience of a collision with a driver not following stop sign rules.

He met up with his friends Tim and Antwon aka Skills at the Unibar.

"So what should we check out first?" Skills asked.

"Do they have a good basketball program here?" Nathan asked semi-rhetorically. The boys all equally interested in shooting hoops headed over to the 'URAC' stall to find out about sporting teams.

"What's URAC?" Tim asked.

"University recreation and aquatic centre." Nathan replied rolling his eyes as this was printed on a sign right in front of them.

--

"Hayley, seriously, how are you going to find the time to actually have a social life with all these clubs you've joined?" Brooke asked with raised eyebrows at the sight of all the 'showbags' Hayley was holding.

"Brooke, they are social clubs. You meet new people with similar interests to you and you don't have to get drunk just to have fun." Hayley replied.

"I have no idea why we're friends." Brooke replied.

"It's because you love me." Hayley replied, giving her friend a cheesy grin.

Brooke laughed, putting her arms around Hayley's shoulder they walked on. "So, I've always been wondering… do you think they have cheerleading teams here like they do in all American TV shows?" Brooke asked.

"I don't know, but I know where we can find out." Hayley replied, indicating the URAC sign.

--

Lucas sat through the most boring lecture of his life. It was supposed to inspire him to work hard and get good marks in his work, but all he could think about was Peyton and the great night they spent together the night before. Lucas' mind wandered far too much during that hour, which resulted with a few crazy looks from the guys sitting next to him.

Finally the old guy finished speaking and they were allowed out. Lucas immediately ran into his mates Jake and Mouth, this would have been ok if it wasn't that he had just wanted to find Peyton and spend some private time with her… but that fantasy was now squashed.

"Heading to the Unibar for lunch?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, I'm meeting Peyton there too." Lucas replied.

--

"Uni girls are so much hotter than high school girls." Tim commented looking over at two girls who had just walked up to the URAC stall.

"They always have been." Nathan said not looking up, "So are you guys putting your name down for the basketball tryouts?"

"Tryouts? Yo dude I don't do tryouts." Skills said.

"What, scared you won't make it in?" Nathan teased.

"What? Hell no! Give me that damn pen." Skills replied, scribbling his name down beneath Nathan's.

--

"Uni guys are so much hotter during daylight hours." Brooke commented gazing over at a group of guys near the basketball section. She gave a wink to the one guy who was looking in her direction.

Hayley rolled her eyes, "Glad you finally realised that, something I have known for quite a while."

"Have you even seen a guy who is sloshed just as much as you are, between the hours of 12 and 2?" Brooke asked rhetorically, "Well judging by the look on your face, and the fact that I know you so well says that you haven't. But tonight my friend that will all change, we will be finding you a real man. Even if it's just to get that dopey Prince Charming idea out of your head."

"Hm, we'll see." Hayley replied.

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	2. Chapter 2 O Party

This chapter is dedicated to my friend Shiran because she makes me feel loved with all her comments and gave me great feedback on the first chapter.

The 'O' in O-week and O-party stands for orientation as in the first week before uni (or college) starts.

And it is people aged 18 and over are legally allowed to drink and stuff in Australia – just thought you should know.

**

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Chapter 2 – O party**

Brooke Davis was in heaven. The music was loud, the boys were hot and there was an open bar for kids over 18. She was having a blast at the Uni's O-party and getting to know quite a few new people, if you know what I mean. At this point she was dancing seductively with a guy who said his name was Rick, or Ick or Greek. But Brooke didn't care, it wasn't as if she would remember his name the next day anyway.

--

Hayley James still wasn't in the partying mood. She had a couple of drinks, the ones Brooke forced down her throat but once Brooke had found an in with a group of "educated hotties", Hayley felt she was ready to leave. She stepped outside the hot, foggy Unibar and sat on the Duck Pond lawn. She watched the young adults inside the Unibar, having the time of their life, well for tonight anyway, and she felt even more of an outsider.

--

Nathan Scott arrived with his mates Tim and Skills late because they didn't want to be the first ones there, and also because Skill's dodgy old car firstly wouldn't start and secondly couldn't go faster than 60km/h. Tim, however, didn't mind one little bit that they arrived a lot later than expected.

"They'd be so drunk already… the Tim would be so In!" He said with a goofy, excited grin on his face.

"Yeah dude, you'd have no chance if they were all sober, unlike me of course. I'd have girls falling for me left, right _and_ centre!" Skills replied, laughing.

Nathan shook his head with a grin. The boys trouped over to the pulsating beat coming from the Unibar.

--

Lucas Scott wasn't too happy about attending this party either. He had come to escort Peyton, who wanted to meet up with the few friends she had made in her orientation business lecture. Lucas was introduced to the excentric group of Business majors as the group of them sat outside at the Unibar tables accompanied by plastic cups of alcohol. He had half hoped he had stayed over with Mouth and Jake playing play station at home. Lucas was definitely not the party boy!

--

Brooke was definitely the party girl, obviously. However she still was an awesome friend, thus why she was curious as to where Hayley had disappeared to. Brooke leaned closer to Rick, Ick or Greek, and shouted in his ear, "I have to go to the bathroom!" Rick, Ick or Greek nodded, not really knowing what she had said anyway. Brooke pushed her way through the crowds of people, searching for that sweet familiar face of her friend Hayley, knowing full well that her shouts would not be heard over the loud music.

--

Nathan noticed her out of the corner of his eye. If he had blinked at that moment he would have missed her. But he saw her sitting there alone in the dark, with the glint of moonlight highlighting her blonde hair (my words, not his). Nathan was building up the courage to go over and talk to her but his thoughts were interrupted by a rude shouting in his left ear.

"Nate! Stop dawdling, come." Skills shouted. Nathan rolled his eyes and followed his friend inside, straight to the unibar for a few rounds of drinks before checking out the talent.

--

Haley saw him, she thought he was looking right at her. But that lasted almost 2 seconds. He was really hot too, too bad the girls he liked were probably the ones getting drunk and dancing like sluts! She turned her attention back to the table of laughing girls nearby. She could only hear snippets of their conversation, but was more interested in the boy who sat there. To Hayley, an expert on the matter he appeared to be pretending to fit in with them and wished for more than anything to be somewhere, anywhere else at that moment. Hayley started to wonder about where he would probably fit in: the surf club maybe? Playing the trombone in an orchestra? Alone at home, playing on the internet? Hayley giggled at that thought and it was then that he caught her eye.

--

Lucas was starting to get over the high-pitched squeals and laughter at jokes that he didn't find amusing at all. He noticed the girl sitting by herself over on the grass, so he decided to go over and make some new friends of his own. Peyton probably wouldn't notice he'd gone anyway.

Each step he took, she became prettier and prettier. "Hey." He said, a great introduction, when he was standing right in front of her.

"Hi." She replied.

"Would you care for some company?"

"Ok."

Lucas nodded and sat down beside her. "So the party scene's not really your thing?"

Hayley shook her head, "Not really, my friend kind of forced me to come, so I'm just waiting until she's ready to go home. It didn't look like you were having much fun over there though."

"You would think that I would have an incredible time with a group of drunken girls, but it was really just giving me a headache."

"I can imagine! The high-pitched giggles were annoying me here, 10 metres away!"

The two sat in silence for a moment, then Hayley spoke up, "What's your name by the way?"

"Lucas, and you are?"

"Hayley."

--

Brooke had searched everywhere for Hayley. She figured Hayley had just gone home to bed, so Brooke decided to call her tomorrow and bitch at her for leaving the party early. She was going to head back to find Rick, Ick or Greek but figured he would probably be with some other girl now. Feeling as though this party wasn't as successful as it should be, she vowed to hook up with the next boy she touched.

--

Nathan, Tim and Skills were on what seemed their 3rd cup of beer, but most likely was their 5th or 6th.

"Alright, I'm heading out there to bust-a-move!" Tim shouted unnecessarily loudly. He turned and almost knocked over a girl who was walking past. Tim laughed before apologising.

"No need to apologise." She replied, pulled him closer and kissed him.

Tim was aw-stuck, he turned back to Nathan and Skills who gave him encouraging smiles and the girl led him off. It was Brooke!

"I need to get me some of that action." Skills announced, and he headed off to the dance floor to find a lucky lady to hook up with.

Nathan who was not much of a dancer and still had one intriguing girl on his mind, decided to go outside and get some fresh air.

--

Hayley was starting to believe that this night was going to turn out not so bad after all. She was just debating with her new friend Lucas about how useful the study of Shakespeare in High school English is in what you may want to accomplish in later life.

She laughed at Lucas' insane explanation, "Ok, ok, you win."

"Damn right I do, your argument kind of sucked."

"Well I'm sorry I couldn't come up with anything better. My brain does not function as efficiently after 9 o'clock, nor with even the slightest consumption of alcohol."

"Hmm, well you're managing to pronounce all those words correctly." Hayley narrowed her eyes jokingly at him, but then laughed again. "So Lucas, do you think we'd actually see each other again?"

"That sounded so much like a movie line, but yes I think we will. You never know Hayls, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship."

Hayley laughed again, "If you say so."

"I do."

--

Nathan had finally made his way to the entrance to the unibar. He looked around for a moment before spotting the girl who was now officially NOT a figment of his imagination. She was sitting there on the grass, looking just as beautiful as before, yet something was ruining the picture.

It took Nathan a second to realise that it was not the alcohol he had drank that was rising up his throat but jealousy, hatred and anger. The boy who, according to a birth certificate was his brother, and who Nathan had gladly not seen or spoken to in over three years was there laughing and chatting with the girl he had so wanted to speak to.

--

Peyton was having so much fun with her new friends that she only just noticed Lucas had gone. She wasn't too fussed, but turned her head to see if he had just wandered off for a moment. She then spotted him sitting on the grass laughing and chatting with another girl. She was glad he was making a new friend, however as the scene in front of her began to unfold, she started to doubt the trust she had with her boyfriend.

--

Lucas and Hayley were laughing, oblivious to the others watching them.

"Oh wait, you managed to get…" Lucas started, he leaned closer to Hayley and reached his hand up to the top her head. Hayley stared right into his eyes, and kissed him.

Time seemed to stop around them, especially for Nathan and Peyton who were watching them.

Hayley and Lucas broke apart, Nathan and Peyton ran towards them.

"Lucas! What the hell are you doing?" Peyton shouted.

Nathan hearts was so full of anger and jealousy that it was a miracle that he was even able to think straight. But in that moment he made a quick second decision. He realised Peyton was obviously Lucas' girlfriend, and she was standing right next to him. Nathan stepped in front of Peyton and kissed her.

Lucas was still trying to get his head around what just happened, but his ex-brother kissing his girlfriend made everything clearer. He jumped up from the spot next to Hayley, pulled Nathan off his girlfriend and punched him right in the face.

The two boys began wrestling and throwing punches, while Peyton stood screaming at the both of them and Hayley backed away in shock of what had happened and what was happening.

Brooke had taken that precise moment to take a breathe from kissing Tim had seen the whole thing.

"Oh my god, Hayley!" She shouted, ran over to her friend and put her arm over Hayley's shoulder. "Um, ok let's… let's go home." Hayley nodded still staring at the boys fighting, Brooke glanced back, noticing that some other people were taking care of it, and led her friend back to the car.

--

"What happened?" Brooke asked when they were both sitting in the car.

"I… I don't know. I kissed Lucas and then this other boy came out of nowhere and they started fighting." Hayley replied so confused.

Brooke thought for a moment, "Well, I think you just got caught in the middle of some huge love drama, you little party slut!"

"What?"

"Well you like Lucas, and that goldilocks girl like's Lucas, the punching guy like goldilocks and Lucas probably likes goldilocks too. That's gotta be some love… rectangle, thing."

"But…"

Brooke smiled, "Looks like uni just got _way_ more interesting!"

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End file.
